Afraid of the Dentist? You Are Not the Only One.
Dentistry for Anxious Patients
Some of our patients haven’t seen a dentist in ten or fifteen years. Some stopped going after one bad experience. Some are fine until they hear the drill.
None of that is unusual, and none of it is something we comment on. Dr. Marcus has practiced in the Loop for nearly four decades, and the most common thing patients tell us afterward is that it was easier than they expected.
We also include oral conscious sedation at no additional charge. Not as an upsell — as a standard option, because the patients who need it most are usually the ones least likely to ask for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You will not get a speech about flossing or a raised eyebrow about how long it has been.
We see patients who stopped going after a painful visit, after a life event, after money got tight, or for no particular reason at all. The work in front of us is the same either way, and the conversation starts from where you are now — not from what you should have done differently.
If you would rather tell us over the phone before you come in, call (312) 263-6898 and say so. We would rather know.
Nothing. Oral conscious sedation is complimentary at Marcus Dental Practice.
Most practices in downtown Chicago charge separately for sedation, which means the patients who are most anxious are also the ones asked to pay extra to be comfortable. We took that decision out of it.
You are describing the most common reason people put off calling, and it is worth saying plainly: we have seen it, and we are not going to react.
Patients come to us after years away — sometimes after a long illness, a loss, or a stretch where dental care was the thing that got dropped. Some have lost teeth. It is a regular Tuesday here, not a story we find remarkable.
Whatever is going on, the first visit is a conversation and an exam. Nothing gets done to you that you have not agreed to.
You talk to Dr. Marcus, he examines you, and you leave knowing where things stand and what your options are.
No treatment is performed at that visit unless you ask for it and agree to it. If you want to come in, get looked at, and go away to think about it, that is a normal and completely acceptable way to use a first appointment.
Dr. Michael B. Marcus, DDS. He graduated from Loyola University School of Dentistry in 1987 and has practiced in downtown Chicago ever since — this is a second-generation practice his father started.
He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Illinois State Dental Society, the Chicago Dental Society, and the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain.
Marcus Dental Practice 111 N Wabash Ave, Suite 2103 Chicago, IL 60602 — the Garland Building, in the Loop, a block west of Millennium Park
Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (312) 263-6898
If you have been putting this off, the first step is a phone call, not a procedure.
Monday to Thursday 8–5, Friday 8–12